Best Larder Fridge 2026: 10 Ranked

The Fridgemaster MTL55242E is the pick of this page because it gets the essentials right: 242 litres of fresh food, no freezer taking a share, and a reversible door. It stands 143.4 cm tall and 55 cm wide, so it drops into the gap a standard 55 cm unit leaves behind. Four toughened glass shelves move to fit a stock pot or a tall bottle, and LED lighting runs down the inside so nothing hides at the back.

Your money buys £0.95 per litre here, the second lowest on this page, and 242 litres is enough for 13 bags of a weekly shop. A salad crisper keeps the vegetables out of the airflow, and the mechanical thermostat is adjustable, so you can nudge the temperature when the kitchen runs hot in summer.

What you give up is automatic defrosting. This is a manual model, so plan on emptying it and clearing ice once or twice a year. If that job does not appeal, the Cookology 362L is frost free and carries 120 litres more, but it costs £399.99, which is £170.99 on top.

The COMFEE' RCD235WH2UK is the value pick: 230 litres of fresh food, a mechanical dial running from 1°C to 10°C, and four door balconies for bottles and jars. At 55 cm wide, 55 cm deep and 142 cm tall it fits the same slot as the models that cost £30 more. The reversible door means the hinge moves to whichever side your worktop allows.

It works out at £0.87 per litre, the lowest figure here and eight pence under the Fridgemaster at £0.95. The 230 litres are all fresh food, with a salad crisper drawer and LED interior lighting, and it draws 102 kWh a year while running at 40 dB, quiet enough for an open-plan kitchen.

The catch is history: only 29 buyers have rated it so far, at 4.0, where the Fridgemaster has 221 ratings at 4.4. If you would rather buy the model a bigger crowd has already lived with, £29.01 more gets you the Fridgemaster MTL55242E with 12 extra litres and a far longer track record.

The Willow WTL55W is for the kitchen that wants a finish which survives daily handling, and it is the narrowest tall model here at 54 cm wide. The mark-proof exterior takes a cloth without showing every fingerprint, and the recessed handle with the reversible door keeps the front flush. Storage is spread across three glass shelves, five door trays and a crisper tray in 241 litres.

That is £1.00 per litre, five pence above the Fridgemaster and 13 pence above the COMFEE'. What the difference buys is layout: five door trays is the most of any model at this height here, and the crisper tray keeps vegetables away from the coldest part of the cabinet. At 42 dBA it is the loudest model here, though that is still a murmur next to a washing machine.

Two things to weigh before you buy. Three shelves is one fewer than the Fridgemaster MTL55242E offers for the same money, and the manual defrost still has to be done by hand. If you want the identical 241 litres in black, the Willow WTL55B costs £237.49, which is £2.50 less.

The Cookology CTFR362WH is for the household that fills a fridge fast, and at 185 cm it is the tallest model here. The 59.5 cm width is only slightly up on the 55 cm models, so height is what dictates where it goes. Six glass shelves, a handle that can be fitted to either side and a reversible door complete the fitting picture.

That is £1.10 per litre, above the £0.87 floor but below the two dearest models here. The money goes on six glass shelves and the frost-free air cooling, which circulates dry air so ice never builds up on the back wall. The touch control offers five temperature settings plus a Super Cool mode for the moment a big shop lands.

The limit is the review base: 24 buyers have rated it 4.7 so far, a strong score on thin evidence next to the Fridgemaster's 221 ratings. And if 185 cm is too tall for your kitchen, the Fridgemaster MTL55242E gives 242 litres in 143.4 cm for £229, £170.99 less, though you lose 120 litres and the frost-free cooling.

The HADEN HL356IX is the model to choose when cold water without opening the door matters, with a built-in dispenser set into the front. It is 185 cm tall, 60 cm wide and the deepest here at 65 cm, so measure the alcove before ordering. Four glass shelves, a reversible door and a digital panel with super and vacation modes fill out the rest.

It works out at £1.21 per litre, and the 60 cm width is what that buys you, since more litres per shelf need a wider cabinet. The dispenser keeps the door closed while you pour, which holds the temperature steadier, and super mode pulls the interior down fast after a big shop. Both features are why 25 owners rate it 4.6.

The 65 cm depth is the catch: most models here sit between 54 cm and 61.8 cm, so this one will stand proud of a standard 60 cm worktop. If that rules it out, the Cookology 362L gives six more litres in a 61.8 cm deep body and costs £29.01 less.

The Hisense RL415N4ACE is for the buyer who wants to forget about defrosting entirely, and it does that with 322 litres in a 59.5 cm wide body. It stands 172 cm tall, shorter than the two 185 cm models here, so it slots under a lower run of wall units. Electronic control and an LED display set the temperature from the front, and the hinge is reversible.

The £1.33 per litre is the second highest on this page, behind the Russell Hobbs RH143L at £1.36, and the premium goes on no-frost hardware rather than on litres. Multi air flow keeps the top shelf at the same temperature as the bottom, so milk in the door keeps as well as the salad in the drawer. The whole cabinet runs at 4.1 from 34 owners.

That 4.1 average is the weakest score in the top six, so it is not the model to buy on reviews alone. If 322 litres is more than your kitchen needs, the Fridgemaster MTL55242E covers 242 litres for £229, which is £200 less.

The HADEN HL316IX is the silver option in the 242-litre class, and it is the model to look at when white will not match the rest of the kitchen. It stands 143 cm tall and 55 cm wide, and the reversible door means the hinge can move to suit the layout. Four movable glass shelves let you take one out when something tall needs the room.

That is £1.11 per litre, 16 pence more than the Fridgemaster MTL55242E at £0.95 for exactly the same 242 litres. The four movable shelves are the practical gain, since you can pull one and stand a large pot on the shelf below. At 40 dB it is one of the quietest models here, alongside the COMFEE' 230L at the same figure.

It has 33 ratings so far, the smallest owner base in the 242-litre group, and it still needs a manual defrost. If budget is the deciding factor, the Fridgemaster gives the same litres at £229, which is £40 less.

The Russell Hobbs RH143L is the stainless steel option, and at 143 cm tall and 55 cm wide it fits the same gap as the white models. Its 58 cm depth is three to four centimetres more than the 54 to 55 cm models here, so check the worktop overhang before ordering. The adjustable feet level it on uneven floors.

The £329 price lands at £1.36 per litre, the highest figure on this page and £0.41 above the Fridgemaster. Five glass shelves, four of them removable, is more shelf flexibility than any other model at 143 cm here, and the stainless steel front resists smears better than white plastic. Four door racks and a salad crisper complete the layout.

That is £100 more than the Fridgemaster MTL55242E for the same 242 litres, and it is still a manual defrost model. If the finish is not the reason you are buying, the HADEN 242L gives silver, four movable shelves and £60 off.

The Hisense RR220D4BDE is the retro-shaped model, 128 cm tall and 52 cm wide, for a kitchen where the fridge is on show rather than tucked away. The rounded silver body and the wine rack inside the door make it the most decorative option here. It is also the most reviewed, with 334 owners behind it.

The 165 litres split into 150 litres of fresh food and a 15-litre 4-star ice box, which puts the fresh space at £1.53 per litre, the highest on this page. The ice box takes a bag of frozen peas or an ice tray, and automatic defrost means the back wall never ices over. The salad drawer sits below the glass shelves.

Two people is the realistic ceiling here: 150 litres of fresh food is the smallest figure in this group and well under the 242 litres of the Fridgemaster MTL55242E, which costs the same £229 to the penny. The COMFEE' 230L gives 80 more fresh litres for £29.01 less.